OKI DATA AMERICAS wasn’t able to send us the new version of the C5550n MFP because the company is still working on it. Last year, the C5550n received the only Reviewer’s Choice designation in our roundup, so it’s no surprise that the same model did well again this year. However, every other company showed marked improvements, so even though the C5550n is no slouch, it won’t be in the winner’s circle this year.

In this report

The GCN Lab tested tests eight multifunction printers suitable for small, midsize and, in at least one case, even large workgroups.

It has a good print speed of 1 minute, 24 seconds with our 30-page text document, but its color print time of 2 minutes, 17 seconds for our graphics-intense document is a little slow these days.

The C5550n has some nice usability settings, such as walk-up fax and scan-to functions, which makes the unit a digital sender because hard-copy documents can be sent to an e-mail address or via a phone line. There are also several preset buttons for common tasks, such as printing letter-size documents onto legal paper. And it can print on 47-inch-long streams of paper, so get those last “Mission Accomplished” banners printed now before it’s too late.

The C5550n is a fine MFP but probably not for much longer. The market is evolving fast, and the C5550n needs to innovate or be left behind, especially considering that its price is now a little high relative to its performance and features. Still, there is nothing wrong with the C5550n. Like last year, it has no notable flaws.